Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" (Psalm 103:2).

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for my sister. November 10, 2004 , she was rushed to North York General Hospital in Toronto , Canada , due to intense pain. After a thorough laboratory examination, her oncologist told my sister that her breast cancer had spread to her lumbar spine and to her liver. Her belly had swollen and she had edema. Her hemoglobin count was very low (down to 1), her blood platelets were very low, blood pressure was very low and her potassium was very low. The doctor told my brother in-law that if my sister's condition had no progress by the end of her third chemotherapy treatment, she might live only for a few weeks. Her last chemo was supposed to be on November 29.

God permitted me to visit my sister in Toronto from November 29 to December 8, 2004 . Rev. Derek Ho preached during the 40 Days of Purpose celebration in Hong Kong while I was gone. He did a very good job. And I am thankful to Pastor Derek Ho for his moral support for me and the church.

My sister was very happy to see me. It was a time of reunion and also a time of just sitting beside her for many hours on 6 successive days, just talking and praying and watching her little progress each day. I also had a chance to minister to other patients by praying for them, and meeting some of the First Filipino FMC ( Hong Kong ) members who are now immigrants to Canada .

God provided my sister with many friends from different cultures and tribes. My sister's friend from Holland came with her Dutch husband; there were Koreans, Ghanaians & Canadians from Kingsview FMC who came to visit (this is her church in Toronto ), and also Filipino friends. She's surrounded with many people who love her. And Ralph (my sister's husband) is very supportive of her. In case you're not aware, my sister, Estelita N. Abdool served the First Filipino FMC HK as a member of the Official Board from 1994-2000.

My visit with my sister was short, yet very memorable. Estelita was encouraged to fight against the killer disease. Praise God! On December 13, she was released from the hospital. For several weeks she has not taken morphine, because she has no more pain. And her swollen body is recuperating. In short, her physical condition is much better today than during the past three weeks. Thank you very much for your prayers. But please, continue to pray for her because she will have her second chemotherapy on Monday, December 20.

The 40 Days of Purpose Spiritual Campaign culminated on December 5. The goals being reached were: 1) many of the church members have spiritual progress in their personal walk with the Lord. They have committed themselves to a daily personal devotional time and memorizing Scripture verses; 2) leaders were multiplied, as the campaign was a good tool of unleashing spiritual gifts and natural abilities of all the people in the church; 3) the fellowship of the church has greatly improved; and 4) the weekend service is a real celebration of God's grace. However, there is one thing that needs improvement, and that is evangelism. The church needs to train and mobilize more people to reach out. We have received twelve members out of the 16 candidates for baptism, of which two were affiliated members.

However, during the Campaign, the church was able to minister to many people, and the twelve small groups were very effective in developing a sense of "belonging" among the believers. And every group wanted to continue with the studies until they will fully understand God's purposes.

My plan to spend Christmas with my family was postponed due to the emergency visit to Toronto . But I am thankful to God for keeping my loved ones safe. I want to extend my thanks to some friends who gave to help with the airfare to Canada .

Prayer Requests:

• please pray for me for wisdom and strength as I continue to lead the church in this coming new year 2005.
• please pray for the third hearing of my son Roldan Monencillo's case in January 2005. This is related to the stabbing incident last March 28, 2004 , when he was stabbed and his 14 year old friend was killed.
• pray for the members' employment. In 2004 several leaders and tithe givers were terminated from their jobs. The church suffers from financial deficits because of the continuous problem of termination of contracts.
• pray for the official board for wisdom and unity as they plan for next year's strategies and activities.
• pray for some members who want to take their day off on Sunday, that their employers would be considerate of their need to attend church services and be involved in the ministry.

Your prayers made a difference in my life.

Yours in Christ,
Kits S. Monencillo